Postcards From Readers: Death Valley’s Panamint City

Behind the lens: I took a backpacking trip my father and brother in early April to the ghost town Panamint City, deep in the Panamint Mountains of Death Valley. The city can only be reached by a tough backpacking trip, and only a handful of people reach the city each year. It’s hard to imagine backpacking through the desert would be lush, but some of the way we were surprised by green canyons with waterfalls and pools. It was super challenging but worth it all!

Panamint City was washed away by a massive flash flood in 1876, killing over 500 people. The town was vacant for 100 years until miners in the late 1970s came back and restored some of the town. In 1983, a similar massive flash flood wiped the town out again. Luckily, everybody survived. The town has been vacant ever since, which has made it a popular destination for hikers – some cabins remain standing and if you’re lucky, you can find open mines in the hills.

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